Kentucky Rental Application

What information should landlords collect?

Your Kentucky rental application is only as good as the information it uncovers. To cover all your bases, use a sample rental application form to easily collect essential applicant information. Free, digital rental applications automate the process while ensuring compliance.

A standard rental application form will help you collect:

• Name(s) of applicants, co-applicants, and co-signers,
• Date of birth,
• Phone number,
• Email,
• Social Security number,
• Employment and income information,
• Rental history,
• Current, past, and previous addresses,
• Pets,
• Emergency contacts,
• References,
• Smoke status, and
• Vehicle information.

These forms collect sensitive information, so federal and state laws regulate the questions landlords can ask and how they use that information to make decisions.

We’ll review these legal requirements as we cover pre-screeners, state and federal laws, pets, and the denial process.

Pre-Screener

Selecting a tenant with confidence begins with a thorough pre-screener, which will help you identify qualified tenants for your home, whether for campus rentals in the UK area or farms near the Parkway.

Here’s what a pre-screener asks for:

• Personal and contact information,
• Employment and income,
• Self-reported credit score,
• Move-in date,
• Household size,
• Pet information, and
• Smoking status.

If you’re happy with what you see in the pre-screener, you can share your fillable application form with the potential tenant, saving you (and the applicant) valuable time.

Federal Application Laws 

Whether you’re renting out a Germantown shotgun in Louisville or an outskirts duplex with acreage, you’ll need to follow these federal rental application laws:

Fair Housing Act (FHA): Landlords, property managers, and employees responsible for selecting renters can’t deny housing or ask questions based on these protected characteristics:

• Race,
• Color,
• National origin,
• Religion,
• Sex,
• Familial status, or
• Disability.

This law prohibits discriminatory advertising and unequal rental terms. Your Kentucky rental application must adhere to FHA guidelines to attract applicants based on objective criteria, rather than FHA-protected characteristics (42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619).

Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA): Landlords can’t discriminate against FHA-protected classes or applicants who have received public assistance of any kind. This federal law regulates how landlords assess credit and rental applications (15 U.S.C. §§ 1691–1691f).

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Landlords can’t discriminate against or deny an applicant solely based on a disability, and they must accommodate the renter’s condition after move-in (42 U.S.C. §§ 12101–12213).

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): Landlords must obtain an applicant’s written consent before conducting a credit check and send an adverse action notice to the applicant if they base the denial on their credit history (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.).

Civil Rights Act of 1866: This law prohibits landlords from discriminating against individuals on the basis of race or color. Landlords must treat all applicants equally, regardless of race (42 U.S.C. § 1981).

Kentucky Application Laws 

All landlords must comply with state-level 2026 Kentucky landlord-tenant and housing laws, as outlined in the Kentucky Civil Rights Act (KRS § 344).

Landlords can legally deny an applicant based on the following characteristics:

• Source of income (including Section 8 vouchers),
• Criminal history,
• Eviction history, and
• Sexual orientation & gender identity.

There are no state laws prohibiting landlords from considering the above applicant details when making their decisions.

Age considerations: In Kentucky, “age (40) and over” is a protected characteristic. Landlords can’t discriminate against applicants over 40 on the basis of age.

Portable tenant screening reports: Landlords in Kentucky can use portable tenant screening reports, but no laws require that they accept them.

Pets, ESAs, and Service Animals

In 2024, 58% of renters had at least one pet, far more than the 33% of renters who reported having a child. Consider this your nudge to add a pets section to your rental application (if you don’t have one already).

Landlords can’t discriminate against applicants with an emotional support animal (ESA) or service animal, but if pet-related property damage occurs, they can hold the tenant responsible.

Pet information: Collect pet information in your application by asking:

• If they have pet(s), ESA(s), or service animal(s)
• Number of pets
• Pet breed
• Pet size

Fair Housing Act: Landlords can’t deny an applicant solely because they have an ESA or service animal. They also can’t charge a pet deposit, pet rent, or a pet fee for these animals. Lastly, landlords can’t deny an applicant based on the breed, size, or weight of their ESA or service animal.

Denial Process

A consistent denial process is key to a smart and legally compliant rental application process. As a best practice, always handle denials consistently for all applicants.

Kentucky landlords can deny applicants due to:

• Insufficient income (which can be a red flag for problematic rent collection),
• Undesirable credit or tenant background check results, and
• False/incomplete information.

Denial notice: Kentucky landlords aren’t required to send denial notices to applicants whom they didn’t select as tenants.

Credit/Background denials: The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires landlords to send an adverse action notice to the applicant if they base the denial on credit history or a background check. Landlords must communicate the name and contact details of the reporting agency, as well as the renter’s right to dispute any inaccuracies.

Document storage: Storing old rental applications isn’t a legal requirement in Kentucky, but landlords should always hold onto denied applications and screening reports. These records are the best defense against discrimination claims. Use TurboTenant to store important documents for free.